Thunder Fall Short to Jazz in Overtime Thriller

Thunder fall to 28-30 on the season following the overtime loss.

Following the All-Star break, the Oklahoma City Thunder made their way to Utah, where the All-Star festivities were held. So, for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, they returned to OKC just to turn around and play their first game back.

The first quarter opened exactly as one would expect following a one week break from basketball. In general, it was sloppy, but Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points to keep the Thunder within a bucket after the first frame. They trailed the Jazz 28-26 at the end of the quarter.

It wouldn’t be fair to say the Jazz jumped on the Thunder, but they had the edge at the beginning of the game. Once the Thunder stabilized things, both teams went back and forth.

The Thunder began to take the game towards the end of the second quarter, though they spent most of the quarter going back and forth. A 9-0 run by the Thunder to end the half gave them a 55-49 halftime lead. Gilgeous-Alexander got up to 18 points on only seven attempted shots. Jaylin Williams also brought a spark in the second quarter with a couple 3-pointers and a drawn charge.

After knocking down a free throw and scoring his 25th point, Gilgeous-Alexander passed Steven Adams for fourth place on the Thunder’s all-time scoring record. This was amid his solidly played third quarter.

Through three quarters, the Thunder led 86-78. They weren’t able to expand on a solid second quarter lead because the teams were playing so evenly. Neither team got on too, too big of a run. However, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 13 third quarter points to get his total on the game to 31 points.

The Jazz spent the beginning of the fourth quarter chipping away at the Thunder lead. Lauri Markkanen got very active and even more aggressive, which helped see the game tie up at 95 with 4:20 to go in the fourth quarter.

And, of course, Markkanen came through in clutch time. The Thunder got eight clutch time points in three minutes from Kenrich Williams, too. 

The game stayed close, though. With 16.7 seconds remaining in the game, the Jazz called a timeout. Down 106-104, they had a chance to tie or take a lead with 11 seconds on the shot clock. Walker Kessler scored second chance points with 4.6 seconds remaining in the game.

With a timeout in hand, the Thunder had 4.6 seconds to win the game. Isaiah Joe got a solid drive, but it was Kessler again with a big play. He got the block, which was his seventh of the game.

On two seperate occasions in overtime, the Thunder got up by four points. Each time, the Jazz knocked down a three to cut the lead to one point.

Still, with all the back and forth play, the game was within a basket in the final couple possessions. Gilgeous-Alexander drew a foul with 13.3 seconds and the Jazz challenged, which was successful. He knocked down one of two free throws, giving the Thunder a 119-117 lead.

Again, the Jazz had a chance to tie the game with 13.3 seconds remaining. Eventually, Dort fouled Markkanen on a 3-point attempt. He knocked down all three to give the Jazz a 120-119 lead with 4.6 seconds remaining. This was the Jazz's first lead since the second quarter. 

After the timeout, the Gilgeous-Alexander rimmed out the shot, giving the Jazz the win. The Thunder remain under .500 as they continue to fall short in games potentially sending them to .500. 

Gilgeous-Alexander and Markkanen had a fun duel. The two All-Stars showed out in the matchup. Markkanen scored 43 points on 15-of-28 shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander responded with 39 points on 12-of-26 shooting.

Kessler was huge down the stretch for the Jazz, too. He finished with 18 rebounds and seven blocks, playing his role solidly. 

With a 28-30 record, the Thunder will now face a back-to-back as they try and find their way closer to a winning record. They're now 2-4 in overtime games this season. 

The Thunder's next action comes tomorrow night, when the Thunder take on the Phoenix Suns, who will be without Kevin Durant, in Phoenix at 9 pm CT. 

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